Beautiful Umbrellas and Sunken Hearts
by Cloud802
Summary: There had always been tension between youkai and humans. Considering said tension it was only a matter of time before another incident came along. Still... who knew it would be started by humans this time around? Kogasa-centric.


**A/N I was really tempted to pull out a CAPTAIN MINAMITSU MOTHERFUCKIN' MURASA, but I couldn't fit it anywhere, so there it is. Originally I wanted to write something purely about Kogasa and Sanae with Byakuren and Murasa in the intro, but I got the intro started and it ran away on me. I like what it turned into though, I hope it's a heartwarming story, because it sure felt nice writing it.**

**If you don't know Murasa's history or what type of youkai she is you should read up on it before touching this story.**

**Byakuren is kind of boring, but I like her. :/**

**I'm trying not to flanderize(heh, Flandreize) the characters, and I'm mixing them with my own interpretations as well, so if it seems like somethings off then keep reading and give it a chance. For example, in my earlier one shot someone pointed out Kaguya was a bit nicer.**

**In this one theres a few too, Murasa is a badass sailor chick who regrets what she did, that might not be too different though, I haven't seen her much in fanon. ^_^**

**And Kogasa is good at surprising people, just not the high level characters, and Sanae is warming up to her a bit, said Miko still loves fighting though.**

**Sorry for the long A/N, enjoy the story.**

**Cloud Strider Presents:**

**Beautiful Umbrellas and Sunken Hearts**

"Peace and love, peace and love for all youkai and humans!"

Normally the village was eerily quiet.

"Take a flier, donations are always welcome at the temple. You can also help through the Moriya and Hakurei shrines, make sure the mikos are home though, and don't forget to drop off donations for them too!"

Normally.

Currently, a strange woman and her compatriot stood in the town square of the largest human village, handing out rather colorful fliers to any human that happened to walk by them.

A few years ago a youkai showing up in the town square would have sent the entire village packing, but Byakuren was happy to see that was changing, even before she realized it was changing at all in fact.

Also, one couldn't deny that the cheerful girl in the town square with the reflective hair brightened the normally boring atmosphere considerably

A shorter, younger looking girl stood next to her... her captain. "D... do we really have to do this?" asked Murasa, trying to suppress her reddening face, "It feels weird standing in the middle of a human village so blatantly."

Byakuren frowned and nodded firmly, "That's the point Murasa. If we're constantly avoiding each other than how will we make progress?"

"Aren't there still youkai that try to eat people?"

"Not if they know what's good for them."

The way Byakuren said that with a radiant smile... creeped Murasa out almost.

"Right, the miko and the witch, but they won't be around forever."

"I'm sure something will work itself out."

Again with the creepy words said so cheerfully. Murasa decided to ignore it, not putting too much weight on anything her weird savior said, lest she overthink something.

"Are you a sailor miss?"

And it seemed she currently had a child demanding her attention anyways. He was up to her waist, so that would have put him at about six to eight years old, as she wasn't very tall. She looked at Byakuren and blinked, "Ummm."

"You look like a sailor," he said, showing a wide grin with a missing tooth.

"Of course she is!" yelled Byakuren cheerfully, ruffling the child's hair, who giggled, "A very brave one too!"

Murasa couldn't hide her blush this time.

"What's it like working on a boat? I only rode on one." asked the boy, who might as well have been jumping up and down with excitement.

Murasa, still a bit bashful, scratched the back of her head, "Well, it's exciting work, and I've met a lot of nice people... not always on the nicest terms though."

"My family are always sailors!' shouted the boy, spreading his arms, "My daddy is a sailor, and my grand daddy was a sailor, and his daddy was a sailor too. I can't wait to grow up and be just like you!"

Byakuren nudged Murasa with her elbow, giving a soft smile.

Murasa couldn't help the warmth she felt in her chest, she knelt down and gave the child a gentle smile, "I'm sure your father will be proud of you."

"Thanks Miss!"

"Kenshiro! What are you doing? Get away from them!"

The shout came from the road leading to the market, where the boy had come from. A tall woman stormed towards what Murasa presumed was her son. She grabbed his hand and gave Murasa and Byakuren the fiercest glare she could muster.

"I'm sorry," said Byakuren, bowing slightly, "He only wanted to see if my friend here was a sailor."

"Sailor?" The woman seemed offended at the notion. She turned her icy glare on Murasa, "I know what you are," she spat, "And it isn't a sailor."

"Mommy..."

"C'mon Kenshiro, let's go home."

Without another word, she led her son down another street, disappearing into a small crowd.

Murasa felt Byakuren's hands on her shoulder, and when she looked up her savior was smiling as always, "Don't sweat it Murasa," she said gently, "You can't let every tiny loss get you down. Besides, that boy was really excited to meet you, and I don't think he liked what his mom was saying."

Murasa took a deep breath and nodded, "It's okay. He said his family are all sailors. For all I know... I could deserve that hatred."

Murasa took a moment before they set back to work, letting Byakuren give her that small comfort.

And then they resumed handing out fliers.

* * *

><p>'Target in sight.'<p>

She tried not to let a laugh slip past her grin. The miko was sweeping the shrine as usual. She was always out earlier than the red one, but they pretty much did the same stuff in the mornings. Kogasa wondered if there was some sort of procedure for shrines like these.

She put her thoughts back on track before getting distracted. She didn't come here to ponder on a miko's daily schedule, she came here to get breakfast, and she was tired of emptying out her purse at Mystia's stand.

It was time to get her meal the good old fashioned way.

The foliage around the path to the shrine itself was thick, perfect for hiding.

This time she remembered to close the umbrella and not wave it around, the last thing she needed now was to be spotted by the small frog girl, who seemed to have an eye for big, droopy tongues.

She tiptoed from one tree to the next, making sure her feet didn't make any noise.

Sanae's back was turned as she swept the deck of the shrine. The miko started humming a cheery little tune, pushing the broom along with the beat.

Kogasa snuck from the bushes and towards the stairs of the shrine as Sanae passed them.

She made it to the deck and leapt at her target...

Who dropped the broom, whirled around, and caught Kogasa in her arms with a wide grin.

"Wah!"

Kogasa tried to struggle free, but it was too late.

Her eyes teared up when she heard the miko's sadistic laughter.

"Good morning Kogasa-chan!"

With no hesitation, Sanae brought a knuckle up and started scrapping it against the karakasa's skull.

Kogasa's umbrella fell to the deck and she let out a wail, "Waaaaaah! Sanae-chan, it huuuuurts!"

"Thought you could get me eh? You need to work on sneaking around more! Hehehehehe!"

After another few seconds of what Kogasa could only describe as a noogy from the depths of Makai, she was released by Sanae, who was still laughing.

"Bully," grumbled Kogasa, pouting as she reached down to pick up her umbrella.

Sanae wiped some tears from her eyes and copied Kogasa's movements to retrieve her broom, "You should see your face."

Kogasa sighed and pushed her umbrella open. The tongue flopped out and stopped about an inch above the deck, swinging around a bit before settling, "I'm gonna get you."

Sanae grinned, "Maybe one day, but not today."

Kogasa frowned and held a hand to her stomach.

"What's with that troubled expression? Was I supposed to be your breakfast?"

"Ye... yeah."

"Awww, you could come in and have it with us. Suwako is cooking right now."

"Ah... alright. It's not like I have a choice anyways."

"Oh don't be so gloomy, every loss is a lesson."

"Not if you lose every time."

Sanae grabbed Kogasa's hand and pulled her into the shrine, opening the door with her foot and sliding it swiftly closed behind her. They both kicked off their shoes as Sanae shouted, "Make that four Suwako, we've got a visitor!"

A shout came back from the kitchen, "Reimu? Satori? Remi?The brat that freezes my brethren?"

"None of the above, just an umbrella!"

Kogasa huffed, "Sorry for being_ just_ an umbrella."

Sanae only giggled and ruffled Kogasa's hair.

It wasn't long before they were all sitting down at a table for breakfast.

Boiled eggs, fish, seasoned rice, and a few other side dishes.

Kogasa had to admit, great food was always as good as surprising people, and from one look at this the Moriya shrine had great food.

"Suwako's awesome cooking always brings in some faith," said Sanae, taking her seat next to Kogasa, whose umbrella was folded in and leaning against a wall near the table.

Kanako and Suwako sat across from them.

"I'd expect you to be the cook Sanae..."

"Eh? Why's that?"

Kogasa frowned and looked at the plate of food in front of her, "I don't know, you just seem more homely."

"Wha..." Sanae's cheeks tinted red.

Kanako grinned, "Oh? I think she's saying you'd make a good wife Sanae."

"I did teach her how to cook, so there's no doubt about that," said Suwako.

"I didn't say that!" shouted Kogasa, now as red as Sanae.

Then again... breakfast like this seemed to come with a bit more chaos.

Maybe it was better just to surprise people.

* * *

><p>Kogasa let out another sigh as she walked down the path away from the Moriya shrine. On the way up the steps was a tall man with what looked like a bag of grain. She assumed it was an offering for the shrine and that he had brought some money as well. As they intercepted each other, Kogasa kicked her still closed umbrella up so it was pointing at him.<p>

He raised an eyebrow.

"Good morning sir."

The umbrella opened and the tongue lashed out, licking the man's face.

After a moment of silence, the man's lips began to quiver before he let out a terrified scream, dropping the bag and vacating in the opposite direction he came.

Kogasa smiled and let out a satisfied sigh, "Better." She knelt down and looked at the small sack. It appeared the money was in there as well, along with a small flier.

She frowned, "Well now I just feel bad."

The flier was dyed like a rainbow, and had a small peace sign on the front. On further reading it was promoting peace between youkai and humans, and she'd just gone and scared the crap out of somebody open minded.

She sighed and took the bag, "Better go apologize and give him his stuff... still, that one was pretty awesome," she said with a light giggle.

* * *

><p>Kogasa had always enjoyed visiting the human villages, and not just because they were easy to surprise. This one in particular had caught her fancy. It was close to the Moriya shrine, and had stone roads with lots of neat shops. She often found herself splurging there when she should have been saving money from her recently acquired job.<p>

The flier had said, helpfully, that donations could be made at Byakuren's temple, as well as the local shrines.

Since this village had been the closest one to the Moriya shrine, Kogasa figured she would start there and work her way west through the two other villages towards Hakurei.

Hopefully this was the one.

She was pretty sure it was...

Maybe...

Now that she looked at it there were a lot of people, and it was a huge place.

She went to the center, the town square, figuring she should start there.

"Look ooooouuuuuut!"

Kogasa's eyes widened, and almost on instinct she dove to the right, and hopefully to safety.

Her guess had been a lucky one.

Right in the center of the square there was what might as well have been a small explosion.

Kogasa coughed as she stood back up, trying to wave the smoke away from her face.

"Holy crap! Hahahaha! That was awesome!"

When the smoke cleared she felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.

She dropped her umbrella for the second time that day when those hands started shaking her, "Did you see that Kogasa? That was frikkin' amazing!"

When the hands stopped shaking her it took her a moment to realize who they belonged to, "Marisa?"

A laugh, "Duh! Who else is crazy awesome enough to pull off a stunt like that?"

Kogasa frowned and scratched her cheek, "I uh... I didn't see it. I was too busy diving out of the way."

Marisa huffed and waved her hands, clearing the smoke completely out of the square, "Figures," she grumbled, "And now my broom is broke and I can't do it again."

The broom was indeed broken.

Not just broken...

More like shattered.

Kogasa could see several wood splinters scattered about, as well as the bristled end of the broom on the roof of someone's house.

"Guess I'm hoofin' it to Alice's place, I don't have much money and doll-girl might let me borrow a broom."

"I could um... buy you a broom."

"Eh?"

Kogasa dipped down and picked up her umbrella, opening it back up and giving a sheepish smile, "Well, I'm helping Mystia out at her food stand, and she's paying me."

"Really? That's surprising... wait a minute I see what you did there!"

Kogasa frowned, "No! No it was nice... but I didn't mean to surprise you, I really do have money and I really am working with Mystia."

"Alright I'll bite, I'll remember this and pay you back later too."

"You... you don't have to."

"Well let's go, there should be a general shop around here somewhere. This village is so big it gets confusing sometimes."

"I know where it's at."

"Really? That's surpri... STOP DOING THAT!"

Kogasa giggled, "I'm not meaning to, really, if I was actually trying to surprise you it probably wouldn't work."

"Sheesh... while we're at it let's grab some lunch."

**"We must not tolerate this any longer!"**

Marisa and Kogasa turned towards the sudden outburst.

At the edge of the town square there was a small crowd gathering, with what looked like a human woman standing on top of a chair and shouting.

"What's going on over there?" asked Marisa.

"I don't know, but it doesn't seem like a good thing for some reason," mumbled Kogasa.

**"For so long we have lived in fear, and now these beasts invade our community and expect us to welcome them with open arms! They serve us food, they speak with our children, they walk among us as if they always belonged! What if they decide we're food? What then?"**

"She's right!"

"What the hell are you talking about? A youkai helped me at the store the other day! Just because they used to be monsters doesn't mean they can't change!"

"Are you kidding? One of those things ate my grand-pappy!"

Marisa frowned, "This could get really bad, really quick. I need to go find Reimu. Kogasa, can you get Sanae?"

Kogasa nodded, "I will, here's the money for the broom, just don't spend it all on a book or something, bring me back what's left." Kogasa pulled her small purse out of her pocket and shoved it into Marisa's hands, "The general store is two blocks down the east road to your left."

"Right, I'll hurry, thanks."

Kogasa nodded firmly and twirled her umbrella, before she could take flight, however, something caught her gaze.

A single man on the edge of the crowd.

"One of them attacked me on my way to the Moriya shrine and stole my stuff!"

Her umbrella clapped closed and she reached into her pocket, pulling out the small bag of grain and money, "Sir!" she shouted, trying to make her voice reach over the crowd.

She held the bag high above her head, "Sir, I brought you your bag!"

He wheeled on her, and after realizing who she was, gave her an icy glare, "There it is! Swarm it, it's stronger than it looks!"

She didn't have time to react before the crowd immediately converged on her.

"No wait! I..."

She was knocked to the ground, and the bag, along with its contents, went tumbling out.

She gritted her teeth as the sheer weight of the crowd forced her to the ground.

What felt like fists hit her face and her stomach.

She dropped her umbrella, reaching into her pocket in an attempt to pull out her deck of spellcards.

They were knocked from her hand and her vision blackened completely.

* * *

><p>Byakuren ran as fast as she could, her hand tightened around Murasa's. They weaved in and out of the trees, away from the village as fast as possible.<p>

"We should fly!" shouted Murasa.

"Not yet..." She took a deep breath, trying not to let the pain in her legs get to her, "There might be some of them crazy enough to have a bow, and flying would leave us wide open. I don't want anybody hurt."

"This all started with that woman this morning. How did she get that many people together?"

"I don't know, there's about ten chasing us..." another breath, "And she was gathering a crowd when we started to run."

"I hope she die..."

"MURASA!"

"... Sorry, but you have to admit this is insane."

"It is, but I would rather run than fight them. If we fight them it will prove them right in their eyes."

"Where are those damn troublesome mikos when you need them?"

"I'm sure they're on their way. Until then..."

"Right."

* * *

><p>"Shit, where are Sanae and Kogasa?"<p>

"Are you sure you asked her? You were in a rush," said Reimu, eyes tracing the town square.

"Yes I'm sure! Even I wouldn't screw up when things get this serious."

Marisa looked over the square once more, cursing under her breath when all she saw was that crowd the woman was gathering.

"What an idiot," muttered Reimu, "Can I be a man so I don't have the same anatomy as someone that crazy?"

Marisa rolled her eyes, "Reimu, now's not the time to be saying weird stuff. I'm worried about Kogasa."

"Alright alright, if you're worried than it must be serious, but we should do something about this crowd before it gets worse."

**"We must drive them back as our ancestors did!"**

"She's really getting into it, huh?" grumbled Marisa.

Reimu's grip tightened around her gohei, "Not for long she isn't. She wants to kill youkai... half of my donations come from them."

"Can't you say something awesome about friendship once in a while?"

"Well... there's that too I guess."

Marisa sighed and kicked her new broom from the ground, hopping up on it and flying above the crowd, "Hey crazy lady!"

The woman looked up at Marisa with an icy glare.

"Anyone ever tell you you're crazy? Cuz I just did!"

Reimu rolled her eyes at Marisa and stepped forward. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the shrunken Yin Yang orb. It grew several sizes in her hand before she let it go and it floated at her side. "Nothin' to see here people!" shouted Reimu as she made her way towards the crowd, "Move along before an incident happens!"

"Hey! You're Hakurei right? You're a youkai sympathizer, how do we know you're not..."

The man who had spoken was silenced quickly by the yin yang orb colliding with his face, "Oops, looks like I broke my own rules," spat Reimu, "Anyone else wanna be a dumbass?"

There was a moment of silence.

The orb floated back to Reimu's side. She lifted her finger and pointed at the woman. "You... I don't give a crap who you are. If you don't get down from that soap box and start getting along with everyone I'll drop you in the Scarlet Devil Mansion for a few days and tell Flan that you're free game, kapeesh?"

**"Threatening us with the monsters now? See how she hides behind her youkai friends!"**

"Okay..." Reimu cracked her neck. "Okay I can do this. Obviously beating you to a pulp won't get you to shut that stupid mouth of yours." The orb shrunk and squeezed its own way back into her pocket, "I'm gonna talk you down so hard that chair'll collapse out from under you."

Marisa raised an eyebrow, "Reimu, you sure about this? I mean... you're not really one for talking."

"Don't worry about me, Genji taught me more than flying and shooting pretty bullets. Go get Sanae and find Kogasa, I'll handle this."

"Alright, if you say so. I'll be back when we find Kogasa."

Reimu nodded, her gaze still locked on the woman.

* * *

><p>Byakuren and Murasa burst through the trees of the forest and into a wide clearing.<p>

Murasa gritted her teeth, "Shit, we'll be sitting ducks here!"

"Just keep running!"

"Right."

There was no delay in their feet once again hitting the ground. They could still hear the shouts of the humans behind them, and it only made them quicken their pace for fear of being caught.

Youkai were often more powerful than humans, but when humans gathered together en masse they were a force to be reckoned with, especially if the youkai wasn't planning on putting up a fight.

Byakuren didn't know about Murasa, she would probably fight if it came to it, but as far as she herself went... she wouldn't lift a finger against them, because that would be all they needed to condemn everyone but themselves.

'We just have to not get caught then,' she thought, 'Easier said than done.'

"Well lookie what we have here! Top news story... Humans Attack Youkai: Decleration of War!"

Byakuren and Murasa slowed to a halt, the former smiled wide and the latter looked confused.

"Don't hurt them," said Byakuren softly.

Aya descended to the ground, winking at the nun before stepping in front of them.

The humans moved quickly, rushing out of the forest and stopping dead in their tracks when they saw Aya.

She held up her camera, and it gave a satisfying click when she hit the button, "Smile for the camera. I hope you all know what happens when you show up in the Bunbunmaru like this!"

The crowd was still... they didn't know how to react to a situation like this.

"Of course, if you insist on going further I'll have no choice but to stop you. This is Youkai Mountain after all, and humans need special permission to enter. Special permission being granted by yours truly. If you wish to make a donation of faith or money at the Moriya shrine that can be arranged."

"What the hell do you take us for?" shouted a burly man, who seemed to be a sad excuse for a leader standing at the front of the group.

"A bunch of rabble rousers who're going to be reeeaaaaly embarrassed when the morning paper hits their front door this Sunday. I mean c'mon, you really think I'm gonna let you guys mess with all of my friends? I'm sure you can relate to a sentiment like that. What did you expect to get out of this?"

The group was silent.

"Exactly. You're just causing trouble because some lady got you all riled up! Yeah there are some bad youkai, but there are some bad humans too, it's something we all have to live with... hey I should write that down, that'll be a good article close."

One of the men sighed, and the small club he was holding fell to the ground, "Whatever, I just feel like an idiot now," he grumbled.

"He... hey where the hell are you going?" shouted the burly man.

A large chunk of the group ended up leaving exactly the way the first one had.

In the end only three were left, stubbornly glaring at the tengu.

She held up the camera and pressed the button, "I hope you three are ready for a good old fashioned smear campaign. Humans Disgrace Village: Useless Conflict Thwarted!"

* * *

><p>"So is there a actually a solid reason this interrupted my lunch?" grumbled Reimu.<p>

The woman glared down at the miko as she made her way through the crowd, "You already know my intentions, if you were smart you would realize that the youkai pose a threat and actually do your job."

Reimu scoffed, "I'm sorry what did you just say? Did you just tell me how to do my job? How many days have you run a shrine before? Did you know that every morning I get up(sometimes later than others) check my donations box, sweep the entire place, make sure there's no trash on every... single... stair leading to the damn thing, make tea and food for any visitors, human or otherwise, sort out any requests, charms, or prayers left by visitors... and you know what?

"That's just the tip of the ice berg, I could go on for an hour about all the crap I have to do every day, and that's not including setting up for holidays, helping people with their problems, exorcisms, and resolving incidents like this one, which YOU caused."

Reimu stepped forward, her feet floating from the ground so she was level with the woman on the chair, "And here you are, telling me how to do my job... bitch."

The entire village square went completely silent, the only thing making any noise were the birds in the forest.

"We... well, youkai are still a danger to this land..."

"Really?" Reimu's feet once again hit the ground and she turned to face the crowd, who seemed to be waiting with baited breath. "Utsuho the hell raven, better known as Okuu to her friends, supplies all of Gensokyo with power on a daily basis. She goes down into the core of her nuclear reactor, does morning and evening checks, and disposes of any waste personally using her powers to do so. She is a hell raven with the power of the sun, and she uses that power to supply you with small things to make your life easier, like microwaves or toasters, or even an iron.

"Yukari Yakumo, manipulator of gaps and borders. Not only does she bring us said toasters and irons, but she also protects the barrier along with me. She may laze about, be weird, and play pranks, but she doesn't screw around when the chips are on the table.

"Mystia Lorelei. She opened up her little stand as something for her friends, and she didn't complain when humans started buying from her.

"Remilia Scarlet, along with supplying myself and Marisa with new magic to stop incidents, has concerned herself with public relations not only with other youkai, but with the human villages as well. Her sister Flandre is currently recovering from mental issues because she doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore.

"Keine Kamishirasawa, a human with hakutaku blood and a local teacher at the village near my shrine. She's probably the most kind person you'll ever meet. She can get weird during a full moon, but never really hurts anyone, and she's the best teacher I've ever seen, humans and youkai trust her with children every day and all I see from her is kindness."

Reimu turned back towards the woman and glared, "And you stand here, besmirching what little name these youkai have managed to build for themselves these past few years. Don't you have any dignity? You can't argue your way out of a paper bag, so back down before I decide to make this nasty."

The woman opened her mouth as if to reply, and then closed it again.

With a slight hesitation she stepped down from the chair.

"This better not ever happen again, or I won't be so nice to you next time."

With that final word Reimu left, and the crowd dispersed.

* * *

><p>Kogasa sat against the stone wall, hugging her knees to her chest. She could still feel the dried tears on her cheeks, but she didn't bother reaching up to rub them from her face.<p>

The place she woke up in was dark, but she could tell she was in a cell, and her umbrella lay a few feet away from her.

It was a stupid move trying to give that guy his bag back when he was freaking out like that, but she felt compelled to do so, and she couldn't bring herself to truly regret it.

A man sat outside her cell reading a book.

Every once in a while she would fiddle with the chains clasped around her ankles, but she couldn't break them without using her real magic or strength, and that would mean breaking Reimu's rules...

She sighed.

"Shut up in there."

When she heard his voice she immediately recognized it, "Your stuff was in that bag," she mumbled, "I don't know what happened to it when I got knocked out."

"Shoulda thought about that before you stole it."

"I didn't steal it! You dropped it and ran off!"

"You attacked me!" The man was now standing in front of the cell, but she couldn't make out his face.

"Don't be stupid, I wouldn't just randomly attack someone, I was surprising you because that's what I do! I came back to give you your bag!"

"Quit tryin' to trick me, it isn't gonna work."

"Well then I hope your happy! Have you ever thrown away an umbrella?"

"A tattered one yeah, now shut up."

"I hope Sanae beats you up..."

"What was that you little punk?"

**"No one taught you to be a gentleman growing up, did they?"**

Kogasa's eyes widened when her surroundings lit up. Standing at the entrance of what she presumed to be a jail's basement, was none other than Sanae, flanked by Marisa.

Marisa smirked and tilted her hat.

Kogasa stood up, face stretched with a smile.

Sanae stepped forward, "That's MY umbrella you stole, I'd like to claim it back... if you would."

The man gritted his teeth, stepping back, "This youkai?"

"My name is Kogasa!" She stooped down, picking up her umbrella and pushing it open.

"Catch!" shouted Marisa, tossing her what looked like a small square, it was a perfect throw, sliding right between the bars and towards the karakasa.

Kogasa's face brightened when she realized it was her deck, held together with rubber bands. She quickly pulled them off and slid a card from the top.

The door was blasted off the hinges by a giant laser and the man was sent colliding into the opposite cage with a dull thud.

Kogasa grinned, "Surprise!"

* * *

><p>The Hakurei shrine was quiet.<p>

The day ended much more calmly than it had began, and for that Reimu was thankful. She sat down at her kotatsu, Marisa across from her, and poured two cups of tea, one for herself and one for the witch, "You were really worried about Kogasa back there," mumbled Reimu.

"Eh, she's a good girl, I think she has a crush on Sanae or something."

"No kidding?"

"Not a bit. Goes to the Moriya shrine all the time."

"So how do you know her?"

"I barely did before today when I almost crashed into her."

"How very... _you_."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Reimu laughed, "Oh nothing, just that people you crash into or shoot at tend to become your friends."

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Well, first there's me, you shot at me. You also shot at Patchouli and Flandre, and I remember you telling me you tried to bite Rinnosuke when you were little."

Marisa blushed, "I was a kid, you can't expect civility at that age."

"So you never grew up?"

"Oh shut up and drink your tea!"

"Heh... who knew the latest incident would be caused by humans."

"Pff, not me."

* * *

><p>Once again, the town square was the lively spot for two strange people handing out fliers.<p>

"Can you handle things here for a bit?" asked Murasa, "I need to go do something."

Byakuren frowned, "But..."

"You're standing in the middle of the town square, I'll be able to find you."

"Oh fine, go do what you need to do. I assume that's what the bag is for?"

"... Yeah."

* * *

><p>Murasa took a few deep breaths in front of the small house before reaching a hand up and knocking. It was a while before the door was answered, and there stood the woman from before, flanked by her son.<p>

Murasa sighed, "I was angry at what you tried to do," she said softly, "But I thought about it for a while, and I decided to look at some ship logs... I... I sunk your great grandfather's ship." She reached into the small bag and brought out a bottle with a replica of said ship inside, "It was a fine ship," she said, holding out the ship in a bottle to the woman.

The woman hesitated, but took it, "I... would you like to come in for dinner?"

"Um... would you mind having two? I'm with a friend."

"I wouldn't mind, and..."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

* * *

><p>Sanae sat on the wooden steps of her shrine, gazing at the sunset with a smile.<p>

"Hello Kogasa, are you sure you should be up and about?" she asked as the umbrella girl emerged from the shrine entrance, "You can rest here as long as you need to."

"Nah I'm alright, besides, Mystia is probably worried with everything that happened, I need to let her know I'm okay."

"I'm glad everything worked out."

Kogasa took a seat next to the shrine maiden. "Me too, and thanks for saving me."

Sanae blushed and frowned, "Marisa saved you, she gave you the spell cards."

"You're the one that found them I bet..."

"... How did you know?"

"I didn't, you just told me, heh."

Sanae frowned, "Really?"

"Yeah really."

Before Sanae could come up with a retort Kogasa grabbed her collar and pulled her down, planting their lips together.

It was seconds before she pulled away, but for Sanae it felt like an eternity.

"Surprise!" shouted Kogasa, a grin splitting her face as she jumped up and ran from the shrine.

"He... hey! That's not fair! If you come back here again you're getting punished!"

Kogasa turned around, pushing her umbrella open so the tongue would flop out. She brought a finger to her bottom eyelid and pulled down, sticking out her own tongue, "Mleh!"

Sanae blushed and sighed, "Jeez, what a troublesome youkai."


End file.
